Gilbert Colnot, 90

Former Town Official

Gilbert H. Colnot, who served as the mayor and town manager of Lauderdale- by-the-Sea for 20 years, died Wednesday night in Holy Cross Hospital. He was 90.

Mr. Colnot, a retired executive with the Armour Co., was mayor and town manager from 1958 to 1978, when he retired from office.

``He was really the man that made Lauderdale-by-the-Sea what it is today,`` said Town Manager John Forrest, who served with Mr. Colnot on the Town Commission. ``He was a man of great intelligence and integrity, and he had a great capability to communicate.``

Mr. Colnot, who moved to the oceanfront town in 1955, six years after it was incorporated, played an important role in the community`s growth by stressing the conservative management of taxes and tight fiscal policies, according to Forrest.